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Lewis Hamilton scores a record 80th pole in Japan, Vettel ninth

SUZUKA, Japan (Reuters) - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton seized a record-extending 80th pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, timing his sole flying lap to perfection while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel managed only ninth. The Mercedes driver, in dominant form all weekend at the Suzuka circuit, pumped in a one minute 27.760 second lap on the super-soft tires while it was still only just spitting with rain. Vettel and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who went out on intermediate tires in the final part of qualifying with the track still dry, lost time coming back in to fit the super-soft tires. The German then made another mistake on his first flying lap and was unable to get another one in as the intermittent drizzle turned into a full-blown shower that drenched the track. Meanwhile, Hamilton – who along with team mate Valtteri Bottas had gone out straight away on the super-soft tires to beat the rain – was lighting up the timing screens. "The team have done an amazing job this weekend, and the call that we made for Q3 was probably the most difficult," said the Briton, joined by Bottas on the front row after the Finn completed a second successive Mercedes front row lockout. "It's so difficult when the pressure is on to make the right call but that's the big difference between us this year and that's why we're the best and the team deserve it," added Hamilton. Vettel trails his fellow four-times champion by 50 points in the standings with just four races left after Japan. His hopes are fading fast and he needs a huge stroke of luck now to reignite his challenge. "Obviously it's not the position we deserve to be in," said the 31-year-old. "I think we have better speed than ninth but we'll start there and see how it goes. "Anything can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day." RICCIARDO FUMES Vettel's misfortune allowed 21-year-old Dutch driver Max Verstappen to qualify third for Red Bull. "We have a bigger chance now to be on the podium," said Verstappen, doubting that he would need to worry too much about the others' title battle: "Is it still a battle? I'm not sure," he said. While the Dutchman celebrated, teammate Daniel Ricciardo was left hoarse with anger after a power unit problem sidelined him during the second phase of qualifying before he had set a time. The Australian, as a consequence, is set to start 15th. "I just can't catch a break," said Ricciardo, who is leaving Red Bull for Renault at the end of the year.

5 highlights from the 2018 Petersen Automotive Museum Auction

From the avant garde exterior design to the collection of vehicles between the walls, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is one of the coolest car museums in the U.S., and possibly the world. Among several others, the Petersen has two featured exhibits, The Porsche Effect and Legends of L.A. But the museum has a different type of viewing coming up at which you could touch, or even buy, a variety of special vehicles. After hosting its SoCal auction on the coast in Santa Monica for several years, RM Sotheby's has moved the event to the more central location of the museum. In addition to several works of art, the auction which takes place the weekend of December 7, will show several dozens of blue-chip vehicles, chosen by RM Sotheby's 30 car specialists. After sorting through lots that range from microcars to new-age supercars, here are five of the highlights that caught our eyes. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti Projected Value: $22,000,000-$26,000,000 Without question, this is the crown jewel of the entire show. As the eldest and most experienced of the 11 total Ferrari lots, its estimated value of $26 million is more than five times the values of the other five cars listed below combined. From the jump, Ferrari threw the 290 into the line of fire. Starting its life with a four-cylinder 860 Monza engine and a Tipo 520 chassis, its first race was the Mille Miglia. Peter Collins was behind the wheel and racing photographer Louis Klemantaski was his copilot. Ferrari took the top five spots in the race, with this car, chassis No. 0628, finishing second. It went on to see multiple races and took on multiple forms, including a V12 swap at one point. After switching through the hands of multiple owners, it was sent to Ferrari Classiche in Maranello, where it was restored to its form at the time of the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. It retains its original chassis, original bodywork, and original transmission, and houses the V12 from its 290 MM spec. The restoration was completed in 2015, and the car remains in incredible shape today. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV by Bertone Projected Value: $2,100,000-$2,500,000 Simply put, the Miura is one of the most significant supercars, and therefore one of the most important cars, of all time. Its two-seat, mid-engined configuration seismically shifted what a performance could and should look like, and its V12 gave it the power to be the fastest car in the world when it debuted.

Record-setting 1953 Timossi-Ferrari V12 hydroplane is as rare as it gets

Luigino "Gigi" Barp, the head of technical service at Ferrari Classiche, the company's restoration and certification division, says it is impossible to put a value on the 1953 Timossi-Ferrari Arno XI hydroplane racing boat. It's a one-of-a-kind piece with a one-of-a-kind engine that was specially designed to beat and set the world speed record on water. With Achille Castoldi behind the wheel, it achieved that goal back in 1953. In 2019, after a restoration and some time at the Ferrari Museum, it's for sale on DuPont Registry.  Although numerous Ferrari automobiles have set many records and earned countless first-place finishes on land, there is only one world-record-holding Ferrari-powered boat. The details and timelines of how it all came together are a bit murky, depending on the source, but it all centers around Castoldi, a world-class boat racer from Italy. According to RM Sotheby's, Castoldi had success with Alfa Romeo in lower-weight-class racing in the '40s before deciding he wanted to set the water speed record in the 800-kilogram class. Castoldi was reportedly friends with people at Ferrari, and he was fortunate enough to secure a Tipo 375 V12 engine for a three-point hydroplane built at Cantieri Timossi boatyard in Italy. That's the same engine Ferrari was using for its F1 Grand Prix cars of the time. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After realizing the engine was still not powerful enough in its original form, Castoldi reportedly worked with Scuderia Ferrari’s chief race engineer Stefano Meazza to up the power. The engine, which started at roughly 385 horsepower, reportedly gained two superchargers and twin four-choke carburetors and boasted more than 500 horsepower in methanol-fueled race tune. It also received a dual-magneto ignition system, and each cylinder used two spark plugs. Castoldi called the boat Arno XI, and on October 15, 1953, he set the water speed record for the 800-kg class by averaging 150.19 mph during a two-way run. Some years passed, and racer Nando Dell'Orto later took ownership. He reportedly made some aerodynamic tweaks, including the shark nose intake and the rear shark fin before eventually retiring the boat from serious racing. In 2012, the Arno XI emerged from the shadows as lot No. 371 at an RM Sotheby's auction, where it sold for ˆ868,000, or roughly $966,000.